Self-sealing coke oven door



March 11, 1941. Q QTTQ TAL SELF-sEALING com: ovEN DooR Filed Dec. 8,1937 ATTORNEY C. OTTO HAL Filed Dec. 8, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 11,1941.

SELF-SEALING ooms OVEN 4DooR Patented Mar. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENTori-1G13g SELF-SEALING COKE OVEN DOOR Del., a corporation of DelawareApplication December 8, 1937, Serial No. 178,767 In Germany December 28,1936 13 Claims.

The general object of the present-invention is to provide coke ovendoors and particularly selfsealing doors for horizontal coke ovens, withimproved means for releasably locking the doors in their closedpositions. More specifically stated, the object of the invention is toprovide a coke oven door with simple and eifective door locking means,characterized by their novel construction and capacity for automaticactuation by the door handling mechanism to lock the door in place atthe end of a door closing operation, and to unlock the door at thebeginning of a door opening operation.

In accordance with the present invention, the

' hooks carried by the stationary doorframe, or

other door retaining devices, are engaged in the locked condition of thedoor by the locking bars or elements carried by supports mounted on thedoor for movement relative thereto in the direction of the axis of thedoor. Each suchsupport is adapted to be bodily adjusted axially of thedoor, to correspondingly adjust the corresponding door locking element,by a vertically moving cam element, mounted on the door and adapted tobe given vertical movements by the door handling mechanism employed toremove and replace the door. In the usual case, in which there are twolocking bar supports mounted on the door, the corresponding supportadjusting cams are connected by a link for simultaneous actuation by thedoor handling mechanism.

In the use of our present invention in selfsealing coke oven doors, weadvantageously provide resilient means acting between the door and itslocking means, whereby in the locked position of the door, the sealing`element of the door is pressed against the sealing surface on the doorseat, with a suitable pressure and depending on the spring correspondingto force or tension of said resilient means. In preferred forms of thepresent invention, the locking elements are adjustable relative to theirsupports to vary the sealing pressure due to said resilient means in thelocking position of the door, and also to suitably secure in place andrelease the door, in case of failure of said resilient means. The camsmay be actuated in one direction by the door machine to unlock the doorand may be returned, when the door machine permits, by

spring or gravitational action.

In accordance with the present invention, the said resilient means mayact between the locking bar supports and the door in the direction topress the locking bar against the retaining hooks -when the door .is inits locked condition, so Athat (Cl. 2oz-24s) the resilient means iscompressed and has its tension increased-by the action of the doormachine unlocking the door. Alternatively, the resilient means may beinserted between the locking elements and their supports, and in thiscase the coacting cams act to increase the spring tension in locking thedoor in place, and to decrease the spring tension as the door isunlocked. In the last mentioned arrangement, an additional weak springmay be employed to move the lockf ing bar support toward the door as thedoor is unlocked. v

In some cases, the hook engaging portions of the locking bars need notbe vertically movable relative to the door, being then moved into andy15 out of engagement with the hooks by the corre-` sponding verticalbodily movements given the door by the door machine. When the extent ofvertical door movement required for operation in the manner justmentioned is undesirable, it may be avoided by pivotingeach locking barto turn relative to the door about a horizontal axis into and out ofengagementl with the retaining hook. Such turning movements of thelocking members maybe automatically effected by the door machine, whenthe latter is provided With known expedients for the purpose.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be had tothe accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which we haveillustrated and described preferred embodiments of our invention.

Oi the drawings:

Fig. l is a partial vertical section of a coke oven battery, taken onthe line l--l of Fig. 2;

Fig. la is a fragmentary View taken similarly to Fig. 1, and showing thedoor locking parts in positions dierent from those shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a portion of a coke oven door and doorwayshown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevation taken at right angles to Fig. 3, illustrating therelative arrangement of a door retaining hook and locking bar in thelocked position of the door;

Fig. 4a is a View similar to Fig. 4, but with the locking .bar movedinwardly out of locking engagement with the locking hook;

Fig. 5 is a section taken similar to Fig. l,l illustrating a coke ovendoor having a modied locky50' ing construction;

Fig. 5a. is a View taken similarly to Fig. 5, but on a larger scale andshowing a portion only,A of the construction shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 5b is a section taken on the same planen as Figs. 5 and 5a, but ona larger scale than Fig. 5a, and showing a portion only of what is shownin the last mentioned figure;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5

Fig. '7 is a section similar to Fig. 1, taken on the line 'I--1 of Fig.8, and illustrating a second modification of the invention;

Fig. 'la is a fragmentary View taken similarly to Fig. 7, with partsshown in different relative positions;

Fig. '7b is a side elevation, on a larger scale than Fig. '7, of one ofthe clamping cams shown in Fig. 7;

Fig. 8 is an elevation of a portion of the door and door-frame shown inFig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

In the known type oi door and door-frame construction illustrated, thecoke oven door comprises a rigid outer frame or supporting section, aflexible sealing member, and an inner plug section. The outer sectionincludes main vertical channel bar members I, and horizontal connectionsbetween said members, one of the latter being shown in cross section inFig. 3, as comprising the hereinafter mentioned guide member I 2. Thesealing member comprises a flexible plate 2 extending across the doorwayand formed with a marginal sealing rim or edge 3, adapted to engage andmake a gas-tight joint with a sealing surface 4 on a door-frame 4surrounding the mouth of the oven chamber with which the door isassociated. The outer door section supports the flexible sealing memberof the door, through connecting means which need not be illustrated ordescribed since they may be of known form, such, for example, as thatshown in the Otto U. S. Patent 1,827,329. Adjustable clamping connection2' which may be of any usual or suitable form, transmit pressure fromthe outer door section to the marginal portion of the sealing member.The brickwork 6 of the plug section of the door rests upon a supportingshoe 5, connected in a known manner to, and directly supported by thesealing member 2.

As shown, the door is secured in place by upper and lower horizontallocking bars 1, each of which, in the closed and locked condition of thedoor has its ends in engagement with door retaining hooks 8, secured tothe opposite sides of the door-frame member 4. Each locking bar 'l ismounted on a corresponding support which as shown in Figs. 1-3,comprises a horizontal bolt 9 extending in the axial direction of thedoor midway between the sides of the latter, and a supporting body orcross head .Ill in threaded engagement with the bolt 9. The body I ismounted for sliding movement in the axial direction of the door in aguide way formed in thepreviously mentioned guide member I2. Each bolt"I extends through and is so mounted in the corresponding locking bar,that the bolt may be rotated relative to the bar, but is not movablerelative to the latter in the direction of its length. A spring II,acting between each guide I2, and the inner end of the correspondingsupport I0, tends to move the latter outwardly, so that with the door inits closed position, the ends of the corresponding locking bar arepressed outwardly against the retaining hooks 8, and the sealing rim 3of the door is correspondingly pressed inwardly against the door framemember. Each locking bar 'I is prevented from rotating about the axis ofits supporting bolt 1, by angular parts or projections 36 carried by thechannel bars I.

The upper andlower locking bar supports are adapted to be retracted intotheir guides I2, by cam members I3 and I3a, respectively. The cammembers I3 and I3a differ from one another only in that a connectinglink I4 is connected to the lower end of the upper cam I3 and to theupper end of the lower cam I3a. Each of said cams extends through slotsformed in the corresponding supporting body I0, and guide I2, and is ineiiect a wedge acting between upper and lower parts I6, carried by theguide member I2 at the front or outer side of the cam, and a roller Icarried by the support IIl in position to be engaged by the inner orrear edge of the cam I3 or I3a. The parts I5 and I6, as shown, areanti-friction rollers mounted to turn about horizontal axes transverseto the door axis.

As shown, the door handling mechanism comprises an arm Il, the free endof which is given up and down movements in removing and replacing thedoor. Adjacent its free end, the arm I'I is formed with a notch I8 atits upper side, adapted to receive a part I9 rigidly connected tochannel bars I,k when the arm I'I is raised, whereby, the door is liftedby the arm II, as the latter continues to move upward after the part I9engages the bottom wall of the notch I8. Prior to the operativeengagement of the arm I'l with the door part I9, the bifurcated ends ofthe arm projections or shoulders 2I of the link I4, and thereby raisethe cams I3 and I3a., so that by the time the arm I'I operativelyengages the lifting part I9 and starts to lift .the door, each lockingbar 'I has been retracted as shown in Fig. 4a, by the action against thecorresponding roller I5 of thecorresponding cam I3 or I3a. After thedoor has been raised sufficiently .to move the ends of the locking bars1, above the hooks 8, the door handling mechanism may be manipulated inthe usual manner to move the door out of the doorway and then laterallyof the latter.

In the door replacing operation, the door parts are returned to thepositions illustrated in Fig. 4a, and thereafter, as the arm is loweredto transfer the weight of the door from the door handling mechanism tothe door frame, the cams I3 and I3a are lowered to permit movement ofthe locking bars outwardly into operative engagement with the hooks 8 asshown in Fig. 4. The down movement of the cams I3 and I3a may beeffected positively by the door handling mechanism, but advantageously,and as shown, the cams I3 and I3a are biased for down movement. To thisend the eiect of the weight of the cams and link I4 is supplemented bythe action of a spring 22, which acts between a nut secured to the lowerend of the cam ISa, and a transverse portion of the rigid outer sectionof the door.

In effect, each bolt 9 and its support I0 forms both a sliding supportfor the corresponding locking bar, and a strut through which the springI I acts on the corresponding locking bar 1, to force the latteroutwardly against the hooks 8, and to force the sealing rim 3 againstthe sealing sur-- face on the door frame 4, with a sealing pressuredependent on the sum of the 4tension forces tending to elongate the twosprings II of the door. The effective length of said strut may beVaried, and the normal sealing pressure increased or decreased, byscrewing the bolt 9 further into, or out of its supporting body I0. Tofacilitate this screw-adjustment, the outer end of the bolt 9 is squaredfor wrench engagement as indicated at 23. In the case of a failure of aspring I I, the corresponding bolt 9 may be manually threaded out of itssupport I0, far enough out of thrust transmitting relationbetween the.roller l5 and the roller I6.

However, by making the upper portions of the inner and outer edges ofeach of the cams |3 and |3a parallel, said upper cam portions may act asstops, limiting the outward movements of the rollers relative to therollers l5 under the springs regardless of the exact vertical positionsof the cams. In such case, the total pressure between the two lockingbars 1 and the corresponding members 8 cannot exceed the sum of thespring forces opposing the contraction of the two springs when theparallel portions of the cams i3 and 3a. are engaged by the rollers l5and I8, and said pressure may be variably reduced by threading the bolts9 into their respective supports Ill.

In the orm of the invention shown in Figs. 5, 5a, 5b and 6, the lockingbars 1 are mounted on supports, each comprising an outer bolt portion 28threaded into a cross head like part 21, substantially like the lockingbar supports formed by the previously mentioned parts 9 and I0. In Figs.5-6, however, each part 21 is slidingly received in a support 24, whichis pivotally connected by pivots or bolts 25 to the channel bars Thesupporting pivots 25 for each member 24 are located at some distanceabove the corresponding part 21, and a spring 28, correspondingoperatively to the previously mentioned springs I acts between the innerend of each part 21, and the corresponding member 24, and, when undercompression tends to turn said member 24 counter-clockwise about itspivots'25. Each part 21 is in splined relation with the support 24, sothat it cannot share the rotative movements of the bolt 28, when thelatter vis rotated for adjustment purposes.

In the norma1 locked position of the door shown inFigs. 5-6, thesupports 24 are held in their positions shown in Fig. 5, and in the doorunlocking operation, the parts 24 are permitted to turn counterclockwiseto relieve the locking pressure between the locking bars 1 and retainingdevices 8 and to relieve the sealing pressure between the sealing edge 3and door frame surface 4. The upper locking bar is shown in its releasedposition in Fig. 5A. The upper support 24 is moved between its positionshown in Figs. 5 and 5A, and the lower support 24 is similarly moved, asa result of vertical movements which the door handling mechanism arm I1gives to an actuator, as movements, are given to thelink I4 and cams I3and 13a of the construction first described. In the particulararrangement shown, the actuator of Figs. 5-6 is a vertical I beam havingits web 29 transverse .to the door axis and extending upwardly above,and downwardly below, the upper and lower ends, respectively, of the Ibeam anges 3o, connected at the opposite edges of the web 23. the up anddown movements of the I beam give turning movements to the support 24,comprise a thrust element acting between each member 24 Each thrustelement comprises a pair The means through which of rollers 3| and 33,at the inner and outer sides, respectively, of the web 29, and havingtheir ends journalled in transverse bar like parts forming the endmembers of a sliding frame 32. In the locked condition of the door, therollers 3|- and 33 are frictionally held between the web 29 and theadjacent sides of the corresponding members 24 and 35, respectively. Onan up movement of the web 29, the rollers 3| and 33 are caused torotate, and are moved upward with half the vertical velocity of the web29. The upper portions of the adjacent sides of the parts 24 and 35diverge, so that the up movements of the thrust members :il- 3, permitcounterclockwise movement of the parts 24, whereby the locking andsealing pressures are released. As shownthe upper ends of the ilanges3|] are adapted to engage the upper sliding frame 32 and parts 34secured to the webV 29 below the lower sliding frame 32, are adapted toengage the latter,-if, as a result of slippage, the sliders do not moveupward as contemplated when thaweb 29 is raised. The web 29 might'carryprovisions for positively engaging the sliding frames and moving thelatter downward, but with the gravitational tendency of said frames fordown moveguides l2 of the construction first described, re-

ceive sliding supports 31, into which locking bars supporting bolts 31are threaded. A compression spring 38 acts between the outer end of eachsupport 31 and the corresponding locking bar 1,

tending to move the latter outward into engagement with its retainingAhooks 8. Each support 31 is slotted for thepassage of a correspondingvertically movable upper cam 42' or lower cam-y 42a.. The outer edge ofeach of said cams engages a roller 4|, carried by the correspondingsupport 31. The rear edge of each cam engages 'two rollers 49, carriedby the support 39.

In its lower position shown in Fig. 7a, each of .45

the cams 42 and 42a engages the corresponding roller 4| and holds thelatter in its outer position, in which the corresponding spring 38 iscompressed and establishes the proper locking pressure between thecorresponding locking bar' 1 and hooks 8, and sealing pressure betweenthe sealing edge 3 and door frame surface 4. When the cams 42 and 42a,are raised into the position shown in Fig. 7, the rollers 4| arepermitted to move inwardly and thus relieve the compression` of thesprings 38. As shown, springs 48 are provided to pull the supportingmembers 31 inwardly and thereby move the end of the locking bar inwardlyaway from the hooks 8, when the cams 42 and 42a are raised to vrelievethe tension ofl up into and down from its position of operativer*engagement with the door part I9 through which arm raises the door,`thelatter is moved upward Y to engage the door part I9 and lift the door.

As shown, the upper portions vof the inner and outer edges of the 'cams42 and 42a are parallelylil's so that in initial down movement of eachcam subjects the corresponding spring 38 to the full compression forceto which it is to be subjected, and further down movement of the camshas no eiect on the compression of the spring. 'I'his makes it possibleto insure the proper sealing pressure, prior to the completion of thefull down movement relative to thedoor given the cams 42 and 42a by thedoor handling mechanism. As shown, the right hand edges of the cams 42and 42a are vertical, and the lower portion of the left hand edge ofeach cam is inclined to the vertical, so that the cam is in effect awedge. The inclination to the vertical of the lower portion of the lefthand edge of each cam may be diminished as the distance from the lowerend of the cam increases, so as to reduce the ratio of compressionstress of the corresponding spring 38 to the resultant force opposingthe down movement of the corresponding cam, as said stress is increasedin the door locking operation. Such a variation in the wedge action, tominimize the maximum resistance to wedge movement, may be employed withthe constructions previously described. It will be apparent, also, thatwith the arrangement shown in Figs. '7-9, as with those shown in theother gures, it is immaterial whether the locking bar actuation is dueto the location of a cam surface, is due to the inclination to thevertical of a cam surface at the front or the rear of the verticallymovable actuator or is due to inclined cam surfaces at each side of theactuator.

With the arrangement shown in Figs. '7-9, as with those previouslydescribed, the rotation of each locking bar bolt relative to thesupporting sleeve with which it is in threaded engagement, adjusts thenormal sealing pressure, and also permits the doors to be manuallylocked in place and released in case of failure of the sealing. pressuresprings.

As those skilled in the art will understand, changes may be made in theform of the apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the spiritof our invention as set forth in the appended claims, and in some cases,use may advantageously be made of some features of the invention,without a corresponding use of other features.

Having now described our inventiony what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A coke oven door comprising in combination a door adapted to engagethe door seat of a coke oven structure having a door seat and doorholding means associated with said seat, of a locking member mounted onsaid door for movements toward and away from the latter into and out ofoperative engagement with said holding means, cam means mounted on saiddoor and including an actuating member mounted on said doo-r for bodilyvertical movement relative thereto and adapted to be moved vertically bya vertically moving door machine part and a spring, said spring and cammeans collectively forming a mechanism adapted to establish or eliminatea resilient force action between said locking member and door tending tomove them apart, accordingly as said member is bodily moved in onevertical direction or the other.

2. A coke oven door as specied in claim 1, in which the said springisdisposed to act between said door and locking member to move thelatter away from the door when said spring is free to expand, and inwhich said cam means acts on said spring to compress it, or to permit itto expand accordingly as said actuating member is moved bodily in onevertical direction or the other.

3. A coke oven door as specied in claim ,1,

in which said spring is a compression spring disposed to act betweensaid locking bar and cam means, whereby said spring is compressed bysaid cam to establish the resilient force tending to mfove said lockingbar and door apart.

4. A coke oven door as specied in claim l, in which said spring is acompression spring disposed to act between said locking bar and cammeans, whereby said spring is compressed by said cam to establish theresilient force tending to move the last mentioned locking bar and doorapart, and in which a spring weaker than the iirst mentioned spring ismounted on said door and is adapted to move said bar toward said doorwhen the first mentioned spring is not compressed threaded engagementwith the last mentioned4 member, and interposed with said spring and cammeans between said door and locking member.

6. A coke oven door as specified in claim 1, in which said lockingmember is mounted on a support comprising a member movable in andextending in a direction parallel to the door axis and adjustable inlength and forming a strut interposed in series with said spring and cammeans between said door and locking member.

'7. A coke oven door as speciiied in claim 1, in which said lockingmember is carried by a support comprising a bolt extending in the axialdirection of the door and a supporting body movable relative to the doorin the axial direction of the latter and formed with a threaded socketinto which said bolt is threaded, and in which said bolt extends throughand is rotatable, but not axially adjustable relative to said member,and in which said spring andA cam means act on lssaid locking memberthrough said supporting ody.

8. A coke oven door as specied in claim 1, comprising a supportingmember formed with a guideway extending in the general direction of rtheaxis of the door, and pivotally connected to the latter to turn relativethereto about an axis vertically displaced from said guideway, and inwhich a part axially movable in said guideway directly supports saidlocking member, and in which said spring-acts between the rst mentionedmember and said door in a direction to move said locking member awayfrom the door, and in which said cam means act between said door andsupporting member.

9. A coke oven door as specied in claim l, comprising a supportingmember formed with a guidewayextending in the general direction of theaxis of the door, and pivotally connected to the latter to turn relativethereto about an axis vertically displaced fromfsaid guideway, and inwhich a part axially movable in said guideway directly supports saidlocking member, and in which said spring acts between the rst mentionedmember and said door in a direction to move said locking member awayfrom the door, and in which said cam means act between said door andsup-A porting member, and comprises a pair ofr spaced apart horizontalrollers interposed between said supporting member surface and a doorsurface, and a vertical and vertically movable bar extending betweensaid rollers.

l0. A 'coke oven door as specified in claim 1, and including means forbiasing said actuating member for movement in one vertical direction andin which said actuating member is adapted to be moved in the oppositedirection by the' door machine.

l1. A coke oven door as specified in claim 1, in which the saidactuating member is a wedge acting between said locking member and doorand adapted to effect movement of said locking member toward and awayfrom said door accordingly as it is moved in one vertical direction orthe other.

l2. A coke oven door as specied in claim 1, in which the said actuatingmember comprises a wedge portion having inclined edge portions adaptedto act between said locking member and door in one portion of the rangeof movement of said actuating member and elect movement of said lockingmember toward and away from said door accordingly as said wedge portionis moved in one vertical direction or the other, and comprising a secondportion in end to end relation with its said wedge portion and havingparallel edge portions adapted in ano-ther portion of the range ofmovement of said actuating member, to act between said locking memberand door and maintain said resilient force constant.

13. A coke oven door as specified in claim 1, in which the saidactuating member is a vertically disposed wedge varying in taper alongits length and acting between said locking member and door and adaptedto eiect movement of said locking member toward and away from said dooraccordingly as it is moved in one vertical direction or the other. y

CARL OTTO. EBERHARD GRASSI-IOFF.

